Feature article

Image representing different elements of teaching and learning

How to build quantitative evidence of your teaching expertise

Teaching impact can be difficult to measure but by sharing insight, resources and teaching materials online, you can start to build quantitative evidence of your expertise as Philip Leftwich explains

Philip Leftwich

The University of East Anglia

Inter-faculty working brings students together

Building the future: the case for inter-faculty learning

Launching an innovative inter-faculty way of working has brought great benefit to students, especially in the post-Covid period, say Gemma Ahearne and Matt Murphy

Gemma Ahearne, Matt Murphy

University of Liverpool

Black male student smiling at the camera from his desk

Ten actions to improve the experiences of Black students within UK universities

Patrice Seuwou outlines 10 steps UK universities can take to achieve greater transparency and fairness for Black students

Patrice Seuwou

University of Northampton

Foundation students moving on up at university

It’s time to end the negative narratives surrounding foundation students

Foundation students are often seen as somehow lacking, but we can challenge the stereotypes around their knowledge and backgrounds to force positive change

Christina Delistathi

University of Westminster

Improving admissions: how to evaluate the whole student

Brooke Wilson and Karin-Jill Magaziner Schneider discuss admissions criteria and how best to ensure the process considers the whole student

Brooke Wilson, Karin-Jill Magaziner Schneider

Colorado State University Global

Adaptability is different from resilience – and here’s how to nurture it

Identifying what adaptability is and how to boost it can help students make appropriate adjustments to optimise their academic and personal well-being

Andrew J. Martin, Paul Ginns, Rebecca J. Collie

UNSW Sydney, University of Sydney

Amplify the authentic student voice in university marketing

Any university can claim to be the best, but in the end, people will believe the students who study there. Here are tips on collaborating with students to create marketing content that amplifies their authentic voice

Ari Badlishah

The University of Edinburgh

Rainbow light bulb in a row of white bulbs

Leadership and the intersectionality of being queer and living with HIV

Coming out as gay was a first step, but it was being open about living with HIV that showed Raymond Crossman how his whole self shaped his role as president. Here, he talks about intersectionality and leadership

Raymond Crossman

Adler University

Research and business need to go hand in hand in an uncertain future

Four tips for developing students’ business skills

How to teach skills that bridge the gap between completing an undergraduate business programme and embarking on a successful career, by Qi Li and Rosemary Bai

Rosemary Bai, Qi Li

Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen

How to shift the power dynamic between lecturer and students

Calling all authoritarians: how to shift the power dynamic in your classes

Using the empowerment framework helps build shared purpose, meaning and respect between professors and students, leading to reciprocal growth and learning

Catherine Whaley, Jon McNaughtan

Texas Tech University

We cannot lose touch with touch

Classroom delivery is evolving alongside new technologies such as VR and the metaverse, yet students are still excited by the touch and feel of things. Here are suggestions for instructors to bring the tactile back to teaching

Aravind Reghunathan

Bournemouth University

A DIY guide to protecting academic freedom

A guide to help faculty manage and respond to threats to their academic freedom, from understanding the source of the challenges to finding allies and resources that can assist

Pedro García-Caro, Katy Krieger, Joe Lowndes, Gabe Paquette

University of Oregon

The history versus fiction debate revisited (again) thanks to ‘The Crown’

In the wake of the notorious television series it feels more crucial than ever that faculty reiterate to students the difference between historical fact and fiction

Farish A. Noor  

University of Malaya

Will AI writers rob students of their agency and free will

ChatGPT and AI writers: a threat to student agency and free will?

If we resign ourselves to thinking that resistance is futile and allow AI to replace students’ voices, we are surely guilty of abandoning our responsibilities as educators

Adrian J. Wallbank

Oxford Brookes University

Illustration of different aspects of university life

To improve the admission process, get faculty involved

Faculty collaboration with the undergraduate admission team can improve class participation, retention rates, course matches and funding yield – and help reduce misinformation about the process and decisions

Rick Clark

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

International students require help when travelling to new countries

How to champion the international student experience from admission to graduation

An international student’s experience at your institution can be very positive with mindful handling every step of the way, says Preeti Aghalayam

Preeti Aghalayam

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Primary sources as a tool for greater diversity

Primary sources can be used to diversify curricula and bring in marginalised voices. Jade G. Winn and Michaela Ullmann explain what library teams can do to support faculty and students in finding and assessing diverse materials

Jade G. Winn , Michaela Ullmann

University of Southern California

Insight on parliamentary inquiries and lobbying

Parliamentary inquiries and lobbying explained

Martin Smith offers an overview of parliamentary inquiries and lobbying for academics, looking at who is involved, how effective it can be and what results it can offer beyond direct policy change

Martin Smith

Goldsmiths, University of London, Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)

ChatGPT has arrived – and nothing has changed

ChatGPT may make it a little easier for students to cheat, but the best ways of thwarting cheating have never been focused on policing and enforcement, says Danny Oppenheimer

Danny Oppenheimer

Carnegie Mellon University

Get healthy even as a university academic

Three easy ways to stay healthy in the new year (even with a busy job)

The time squeeze of modern university roles can make it feel impossible to carve out schedule space for health and wellness. Sandy Jones provides tips on how to do so

Sandy Jones

Colorado State University Global

Lights, camera, action: how to get students to turn on their cameras

Strategies to strengthen student engagement and build community in virtual learning environments by encouraging all students to turn on their cameras, by Clara Chapdelaine-Feliciati

Clara Chapdelaine-Feliciati

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

University career services can leverage social media

Social mobility via social media: opportunities for career services

Four practical suggestions for how university career services can make greater use of social media to support social mobility among their students

William E. Donald, Kaz Scattergood

University of Southampton, Ronin Institute, University of Liverpool

Illustration of giant mortarboard with students

If I redesigned UK higher education, I would…

Pay-as-you-go modules? Choose-your-own first year? Glenn Fosbraey looks to the blue sky for (sometimes radical) ideas for improving the HE experience

Glenn Fosbraey

University of Winchester

People in arrow formation, leadership concept

What is responsible leadership in tertiary education?

This leadership model emphasises participation and community over individual heroics and champions broad measures of success, writes Harry Gill

Harry Gill

Zayed University

Students enjoying an informal get together over coffee

The power of events to build belonging among students

XJTLU’s new Entrepreneur College had to work fast to build a sense of belonging among its first student cohorts, and one way it did this was by hosting a series of events. Xiaotong Lu shares the strategies adopted

Xiaotong Lu

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Changing career focus to become a university teacher

Considerations when focusing your career on teaching over research

Brooke Wilson provides tips for those attempting to enter higher education with, or pivot an existing academic career towards, a focus on teaching

Brooke Wilson

Colorado State University Global

Balance in student evaluation of teachers SET

Tips to make student evaluation fairer for teachers

Factors unrelated to an instructor’s ability to enhance student learning can influence student evaluation of teaching. So, Temesgen Kifle shares six fair and effective ways to assess educators’ teaching capabilities

Temesgen Kifle

The University of Queensland

Practice makes perfect and other networking tips for academics

The benefits of networking for academics and how to do it well, both in person and online, explained by Eleanor Hennige

Eleanor Hennige

The University of Edinburgh

Techniques for managing and learning from failure in academia

Failure in academia does not have to be entirely negative – it can provide an opportunity to grow, build resilience and is an essential part of the self-improvement process

Gustavo Espinoza Ramos

University of Westminster

Don’t jettison traditional academic writing just yet

Academic writing is transforming – into comics, podcasts, installations – but that doesn’t mean bog-standard peer-reviewed papers are less key to institutional status or individual promotion, writes Pat Thomson

Patricia Thomson

University of Nottingham

Top tips for choosing a PhD Supervisor

Özge Özden lays out the pros and cons you need to consider when choosing a PhD supervisor, as well as five key qualities to look out for

Özge Özden

Near East University

The basics of building engagement and motivation for learning online

The fundamentals of effective course development and communication when teaching predominantly online, shared by Hasti Abbasi

Hasti Abbasi

La Trobe University

Indonesian students sitting outside on campus

Hidden stories in Indonesian names: you do not have a surname?

Rosemary Bai shares knowledge about the Indonesian naming system, encouraging higher education institutions and staff to be aware of its uniqueness and handle Indonesian names with respect

Rosemary Bai

Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen

Illustration showing profiles in different pastel colours

Intersectionality is the only way to nurture academics of colour

Finding the blind spots in EDI efforts will more effectively support academics sitting at the intersection of minority identities. Here are three places to start

Wajeeha Aziz , Raheela Awais, Melody Obeng , Ellie Harrison

University of Sussex, University of Liverpool, University of Sheffield

Woman greets young man with a hand on his shoulder

With an ‘epidemic’ of poor mental health, what can universities do to help?

Practical guidance for universities on how they can support the growing number of staff experiencing challenges relating to mental health and well-being

Meredith Wilkinson

De Montfort University

Illustration of people doing different activities with cogs and ladders

A teaching-research nexus to guide your course development

Three steps to create a map of a university programme’s teaching-research integration, in order to identify weaknesses and strengths and inform course development

Nikolas Dietis

University of Cyprus

Full circle: using the cycle of teaching, module design and research

How research, module design and classroom delivery in creative fields inform one another in circular and essential practices. Glenn Fosbraey shares his own teaching as a case study

Glenn Fosbraey

University of Winchester

Arts-based methods to foster participatory and interactive learning

Arts-based methods in university teaching centre individual human values and relationships as key contributors in learning. Anne Pässilä and Allan Owens offer advice on how this can be achieved

Anne Pässilä, Allan Owens

Lappeenranta–Lahti University of Technology LUT, University of Chester

Analytic rubric design fundamentals

A beginner’s guide to creating an analytic rubric which can be used by tutors to accurately mark and feedback on assignments, but also by students themselves to guide their work

Jamie Gilbert Mikell

Athens State University

Matching technology training to industry needs: a case study

Professional development courses, especially in rapidly developing technologies, must evolve to meet industry needs. Here, Daniel Garrote explains how his institution created a master’s in the Internet of Things

Daniel Garrote

Nuclio Digital School

Female student looking distracted from her work

Compassionate teaching for students with ADHD

Small but considered adaptations to teaching can support students with ADHD to succeed at university. Fiona S. Baker lists modifications that can make all the difference

Fiona S. Baker

Durham University

The pronoun y'all as inclusive language in universities

Embracing inclusivity with ‘y’all’: why this pronoun deserves a fresh look

In a recent online meeting, a colleague told me that using that word made me sound uneducated. So I set out to see if it is really sending a bad message

Stone Meredith

Colorado State University Global

How to decolonise initial teacher education: start with yourself

Decolonisation has the potential to rattle higher education’s sandstones and ivory towers, yet many struggle to know where to start. Karen Lambert and lisahunter use the context of initial teacher education in Australia to explain that it starts with you

Karen Lambert, lisahunter

Monash University

Cover diversions: what to read over the winter break

Who better to recommend winter reading than university library staff?

Georgia Tech library staff

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Image of a light blub with a professors hat on

What higher education can learn from school and further education teaching

As universities strive to improve teaching, they should look to schools and further education colleges for lessons in effective pedagogy and student engagement, write Russ Woodward, Tim Veal and Nicola Pattinson

Russell Woodward, Tim Veal, Nicola Pattinson

University Centre Grimsby: The TEC Partnership

Engage your students with these feedback strategies

Angeles Aguirre and Jorge Mosqueda provide simple introductions to four methods of feedback, from video summaries and social media posts to rubrics

Angeles Carolina Aguirre-Acosta , Jorge Mosqueda

Tecnológico de Monterrey

It’s crucial for universities to bridge the ‘town and gown’ divide

James Derounian considers how universities act as good neighbours to their host communities and recommends a simple exercise to break free of the ivory towers

James Derounian

University of Bolton

A tutor talking to a student in the library

Data analytics to target student support and address problems early

How higher education institutions can incorporate data analytics into student support strategies to pinpoint risk factors that could disrupt a student’s progress and target assistance

Elise Awwad

DeVry University

Get started with virtual reality for learning and teaching

Free, accessible resources are readily available for educators who want to add virtual reality to their teaching tools. Start small, be realistic and persist, says Siân Shaw

Siân Shaw

Anglia Ruskin University

Should we be worried? An educators’ introduction to the metaverse

What is it and what might it mean for the future of education?

Paul Bailey

Jisc

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